


And Maybe For A Moment We Can Breathe Together

by Jen425



Series: And The Virus Of Our Word Is Thus Survived [3]
Category: Kamen Rider - All Media Types, Kamen Rider Ex-Aid, Tokusatsu
Genre: Developing Relationship, Episode: e031 The Forbidden Continue!?, F/M, Gen, Houjou Emu Needs A Hug, Hurt/Comfort, Missing Scene, Poppy Pipopapo Needs A Hug, Pre-Relationship, References to all the bullshit these two were put through, angst & hurt/comfort, dan the fuck man is mostly there as a backround humor peice but hey it’s late ex-aid, that’s just his job
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-10
Updated: 2020-03-10
Packaged: 2021-03-01 01:34:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 840
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23087083
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jen425/pseuds/Jen425
Summary: Maybe it’s selfish to want just a second to check up on her, but he’s missed her so much.(Or: in which Emu and Poppy have a much needed conversation while Dan sits in the Bugvisor and the others exposition on the roof)
Relationships: Houjou Emu & Poppy Pipopapo, Houjou Emu/Poppy Pipopapo
Series: And The Virus Of Our Word Is Thus Survived [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1659322
Comments: 4
Kudos: 19





	And Maybe For A Moment We Can Breathe Together

**Author's Note:**

> Do you ever think about that time Poppy and Emu had a plot out of a romcom and then Parado decided to take over Emu’s body and hit Poppy and it only got worse from there?

After the fight with Kuroto against Parado, Poppy chases an evil and now-capable-of-teleporting Kamen Rider back to CR, and Emu has perhaps the first moment to almost think since… god, since saving Poppy?

It’s been days only, but it feels like a month at least, a long month of Bugster drama after new Chronicle crisis after shocking new reveal.

He doesn’t even think he’s had a full conversation with Poppy since she returned, not while Parado had… no. He can’t think about that, even if of course this twisted series of events he now calls his life has somehow twisted a boy that he almost remembers, an aspect of himself that he’d talked to as a child when he was lonely. It just…

It’s been a long few days.

(When was the last time he slept?)

Nonetheless, he returns to CR. There’s likely still more to do, not that he doesn’t want to help stop Chronicle as much as he possibly can. Also…

More importantly, more selfishly, he needs to have an actual conversation with Poppy. But he thinks he has a right to this small, selfish bit of closure in the face of this fight.

And it’s not even all selfish - he doubts these days have been much better for Poppy, either. In some ways by his own actions!

(It’s not like he had a choice or a better option to take, but he worries how long he can keep using that logic before things get too desperate.)

He makes his way finally into the main room of CR, and Poppy’s not even in her game booth, just kinda sitting listlessly at the table, in Asuna form for the first time Emu can remember since…

Well, since before Chronicle. She blinks, looking over at the sound of his footsteps and smiling in a false way completely different from when she’d been reset.

“Oh,” she says. “P-Pemu… I mean…”

Her verbal tick, occurring even in Asuna form, gives away how much she’s still upset more than most anything else ever could. It’s probably how nonstop the last few days have been.

He forces himself to smile right back, hopes it doesn’t seem equally false. It feels like, each time things are getting better, something infinitely worse happens.

“It’s okay, Poppy,” he says. “Where’s…”

“I’m right hear,” screams a pitched-up but familiar voice from her Neo Bugvisor, which she promptly flips over, muting him.

“He was being a bug,” she says. “I think Nico, Taiga, and Hiiro are still on the roof? Don’t know about the director, though.”

“Oh,” Emu says.

“I’m really glad we’re both back,” she continues. “I… I want to believe in Kuroto, now, but I… I just wanted to save you.”

Emu nods.

“I know,” he says, and this time he thinks his smile is real. “Don’t forget, I was so happy when you remembered, but for my own part, I just… I’m sorry I didn’t see, immediately, that you were still hurting.”

Poppy shakes her head.

“No,” she says. “I’m really grateful, I was just… confused. And scared, and Parado and Graphite said…”

Emu nods, sitting down next to her and putting a hand on her shoulder and more than a little bit surprised when she then just kind of melts into his side. It’s not something they would have done before but everything’s gone so wrong that he doesn’t mind one bit, scoots their chairs closer together, even.

“But you believed in me,” she continues. “Even when I didn’t, you believed in me.”

Emu laughs, softly.

“It’s only because you believed in me, first,” he says, and Poppy’s head turns quickly around to meet his eyes. “From the beginning, you believed in me.”

“O-oh,” she says. Then, laughing, she sits back up, but now she’s gripping the hand that he’d placed on her shoulder in her hands. “I guess I was looking for Genius Gamer M, that day… but even though you were clumsy and just an intern and kind of became a Rider on accident, I knew you were a good Doctor, too. E-eventually.”

Emu can feel his smile grow.

“Thank you,” he says. Then his eyes go back to her Neo Bugvisor. And Kuroto. A perfect representation of all they still have to do. “But I wonder if it’ll be enough. We still need to stop Chronicle.”

Poppy sighs.

“Yeah,” she says. Then she jumps up, beginning to spin in a familiar way. “But… you have me, Poppy Pipopapo: your navigator to Kamen Rider Chronicle!”

And Poppy’s smile, framed in bright pink hair, is both bright and warm again, finally, Emu thinks, so he smiles back.

“I guess I do,” he says. He picks Kuroto up off the table, who immediately starts ranting about how  _ dare  _ they treat a god like this and honestly Emu has a feeling working with the game designer won’t make things simpler, but they might help.

(And Poppy wants them to get along, and Emu dies hope Kuroto can try to atone, so…)

“We can start with this.”

**Author's Note:**

> Find me on Tumblr @flaim-ita or @dancingqueen-mai for just Toku


End file.
